NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF SPINAL LOADS IN SPONDYLOLISTHESIS TREATMENT USING PEDICLE SCREWS – PRELIMINARY RESEARCH

The aim of this experimental study was to analyse the influence of lumbar stabilisation used in the treatment of spondylolisthesis on the biome-chanical properties of the human lumbar spine. FEM models were built on the basis of pre-surgical CT scans, routinely used in medical practice. MIMICS software was used to process the results of the neuroimaging study and to create 3D models. Two models were built: with and without a stabiliser. A static load analysis was performed for a normal upper-body load. The simulations allowed to determine the stresses in the individual discs for both models, with and without the transpedicular stabiliser

Onchocerciasis Drug Discovery: In Vitro Evaluation of FDA-Approved Drugs against <i>Onchocerca gutturosa</i> in Gambia

Onchocerciasis treatment and control relies mainly on the use of ivermectin which has high activity against the microfilarial stage of Onchocerca volvulus but limited activity against the long-lived, tissue dwelling adult nematodes. As this neglected tropical disease has now been targeted for elimination, there is an urgent need for new drugs to combat these parasites, ideally with macrofilaricidal activity. In this study, we have examined the anti-Onchocerca activity of a range of existing FDA-approved drugs with a view to repurposing, which can lead to rapid and relatively inexpensive development. From the Pharmakon-1600 library, 106 drugs were selected and tested against O. gutturosa adult male parasites using a concentration of 1.25 × 10−5 M in an in vitro 5-day standard assay to assess motility and viability (using MTT/formazan colorimetry). The findings revealed that 44 drugs produced marginal/moderate activity (50–99% motility and/or MTT reductions) including cefuroxime sodium, methenamine, primaquine phosphate and rivastigmine tartrate, while 23 drugs produced good activity (100% motility reductions and significant MTT reductions), including atovaquone, isradipine, losartan, rifaximin, cefaclor and pyrantel pamoate. Although this study represents only a first step, some of the identified hits indicate there are potential anti-Onchocerca drug candidates worthy of further investigation